Why Job Descriptions Are A Dying Art

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By KARIN HURT

A client called and said, “Karin, I’m going to send you the job description for the new role we designed, but ignore all the HR mumbo jumbo. Just concentrate on the competencies and see if they seem right to you based on the strategy we’ve been working on.”

Game on. We were going to have the conversation that was most worth having: How do we find the right person with the aptitude for this vital job?

The 25% this, 37% that of traditional job descriptions was a crap shoot at best. We needed a thinker who would work with us to be as creative as possible and build this role into more than we ever imagined.

But, when job descriptions serve to confine, or when “swim lanes” become too narrow, you’re headed into dangerous waters.

Confined to job descriptions

I remembered the time the union in the United States fought so hard to prevent “service reps” from doing higher paid “customer rep” work, and kept a careful watch, telling both groups to be careful not to do too much outside their “role”.

Once the lawyers got involved, the higher job was eliminated, the career path disappeared, and really great people were disappointed and stopped trying.

I was devastated to see good people with hopes of moving up crushed by the instruction to do less, because some artificial boundaries said that would help.

It didn’t, it never does

It’s not just in union jobs. Recently, I failed to convince one of my Master of Business Administration (MBA) students in the power of thinking beyond her current low-level job description.

She sings opera on the side and was asked if she would like to sing at her company gala (with external players). She said only if she were paid for the gig, since this is “not in her job description.”

She had a big opportunity to get noticed and to differentiate herself, but she didn’t sing due to a matter of principle.

As a musician myself, I get it at some level. But, I’ll also never forget the time when we were in the middle of a touching measure of a huge rehearsal and the conductor put down the baton between beats, because it was time for a union break*.

Most examples are not this dramatic, and often not articulated. But in almost every company I work in, I see signs of the “it’s not my job” virus gaining momentum, and the “A Players” are shooting themselves in the foot while the mediocre get by just fine.

Why job descriptions are old school

I can’t claim to fully understand every circumstance, and I know there are grave situations where good people are being exploited. I’m not talking about that.

What I do know is the hundreds, at this point, likely thousands of people I’ve met over the years in reasonable-paying jobs, whose fear of working outside their job description absolutely damaged their careers and sabotaged their long-term earnings.

And it’s even more critical now.

We’re in a knowledge and technology economy where even lower-level jobs change faster than human resources (HR) can keep up.

Your job description is the skeleton—the unimaginative view of minimal requirements. Many will stop there and stay put. And that’s a tragedy.

The game changers will understand this limited view, and know that the real work is to think past the basics and add value that changes the game.

In most cases, the money will follow. If not, know there are plenty of companies hungry to hire people willing to change the game.

The call to HR

Of course you need job descriptions. It’s just time to get more creative. Imagine the possibilities if every job description had the 75% skeleton as it exists today, and then 25% encouraging innovation and additional contribution?

• Continuously seeks new ways to enhance the customer experience and shares them with peers.

• Collaborates across departments for innovative solutions to improve quality and reduce costs.

Parting thoughts

The old Field of Dreams idea of “build it and they will come” sometimes fail as a short-term solution. But I’ve never seen a genuine effort of a competent person giving a little more than expected over time fail.
Let’s talk about this important issue.

Your turn. What’s riskier? Holding back and doing what you’re paid to do, or giving too much and risking being taken advantage of?

*A union break refers to an agreement made between the employer and employees (who are part of a union) about the duration and frequency of a break or rest period between working hours.

Karin Hurt is a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and MBA professor. She has decades of experience in sales, customer service, and HR which she uses to help clients achieve a turnaround through deeper engagement. She knows the stillness of a yogi, the reflection of a marathoner, and the joy of being a mom raising emerging leaders. To engage with Karin, email us at editor@leaderonomics.com. For more HR Talk articles, click here.

5 Comments

Roshan Thiran

Good article Karin. I agree fully that JDs are old school. We have tried hard at Leaderonomics to never be dictated by job descriptions but rather by our culture (Be Synergistic, Be Excellent, Be Courageous, Be Accountable and Be Agile) and our overall objectives and aspirations. But never an easy challenge as most people dislike agile and objective driven organisations. Thanks for sharing! Good piece of work
Roshan

Roshan, Thanks so much! I agree, so much creativity comes when we stay flexible. The tricky part is providing enough structure to support your strategy and goals, but also encouraging the culture you describe.

Nisa

To the author, Karin, Kudos for such coverage. I could sum up that JD is important yet not everything. I truly believe doing the extra miles should be nurtured through organization culture, driven by the top management. Recognizing the extra efforts put in which add values to stakeholders as well as company branding/ reputation is crucial in hope to encourage those with brilliant ideas that would take the company to whole new journey (possibly). I couldn’t agree more on this:

But in almost every company I work in, I see signs of the “it’s not my job” virus gaining momentum, and the “A Players” are shooting themselves in the foot while the mediocre get by just fine.

That’s when you start to think – “Why am I doing so much, putting myself in the hot soup, when I have no one on my side not even my own bosses. Who’s battle is this?”. I also found me reminding myself “Nisa, just shut your mouth and nod. Trouble is uncalled for and extra tasks will bring you more foe and sometimes turn friends to foe (as you upgrade from nothing to something threatening)”.

The truth is, it takes two to tango. Of course not all extra miles could make a big impact, but encouragement and mentor-ship guidance could do a whole lot more rather than shooting the “A Players” down and settling with being just another a mediocre organization where people often look forward to retire.

For all the “A Players”, keep doing the extra miles. Because it is you that has benefited the most.

Lay Hsuan Lim

Hi Nisa, thank you for sharing your insights. I have communicated your comment to the writer, Ms Karin Hurt.
Indeed, we are hearing a lot of “It’s not my job” syndrome, and it’s really affecting the culture of accountability at the workplace, perhaps even at a national level too.

Thanks for dropping by Leaderonomics.com. Hoping you will hang around longer and find more leadership insights that will help you in your personal leadership journey. All the best!